Con:- Bad Controls (imprecise)- Button colors/labels ingame do not match with xbox controller (the one tobe seems to hold)- Flow interrupting "cutscene" in every level- No two controller coop, just controller/keyboard (title supports only local coop)- Tiny resolution- Unable to exit the game with the controller

I usually enjoy platformer, especially short and independet ones with great music.

I don't really care for the graphics, although I have to say Tobe's looked pretty appealing to me on the screenshots.

However nice graphics cannot make up for broken control mechanics, which are in my opinion the most important part of any platformer.

The game is really cute, but as far as I'm concerned that's the only thing it's got going for it.Pros:+ Cute, nice looking art style.+ Straight forward easy to understand gameplay

Cons:- Awkward, stiff and clunky controls which add frustration and more difficulty than there should be.- Only supports use of one gamepad at a time, meaning that in co-op someone has to use the keyboard which controls are even worse.- Local co-op only.- Unforgiving gameplay (could be a positive, depending on your opinion)

Tl;Dr:Tobe's Vertical Adventure is a cute game with really awkward and broken controls, which on sale might be worth buying but I would recommend spending your hard earned money on something else.

This is probably on the very tame side of negative, but negative it is nonetheless.

My main problem with this game comes down to the controls; they're very stiff and clunky and even 100%'ing the game I'm still not quite sure how everything works. Wall jumping in particular is a pain but really there's just a lot of weirdness here.

The neat thing about this game is the way levels start you off going down, then hurry you back upwards with more paths unlocked. It's actually generally pretty clever level design and only a few levels really spoil this by forcing you to wait for an obstacle to be out of the way.

That being said it's also fairly glitchy and clipping through walls/platforms is not an uncommon occurence. Not a huge hindrance but it's there.

The music and graphics are fairly standard 16-bit type stuff, nothing really special.

The control scheme is also quite awkward and if I ever thought directly about which button to press I'd always end up pressing the wrong one. It's just strange.

This probably isn't a "bad" game but it's not one I particularly enjoyed, it's a very "meh" game more than anything. It's also really short, 16 levels that can be completed in a few minutes each. Probably not really worth it for the price, that's also a part of my rating here. Honestly it's possible to have some fun with this game but it's not a high-quality experience even still.

Tobe's Vertical Adventure is a retro platformer built around modern ideas. As the titular Tobe and his would-be girlfriend Nana, you embark on a quest to loot every island you come across and making off with as much gold as you can carry. A simple plot for a simple game, it sets up Tobe's most interesting feature.

Each level is structured like that of a cave, starting you off at the top and forcing you to make your way down to the treasure somewhere at the bottom. When you finally get your prize, the cave begins to collapse opening new paths and sending you scrambling for the surface before time runs out and you are trapped under the rubble. It's a cool mechanic that I haven't seen other games do, and works well given the somewhat nonlinear level design that lets you choose from several different paths going both downwards and upwards. Being able to run off one side of the screen and pop out the other also allows for more creative traversal, which is the game's strongest asset.

But aside from this much of the game is rather clumsy, especially in terms of controls and movement. Essentially you move as a mix of Sonic 2's underwater levels with the original Prince of Persia's acrobatic hijinks. Tobe can run up walls, slide under gaps, and dangle from hanging branches, whereas Nana swaps the wall climb for a double jump. This sounds great on paper would work fantastically with the open level designs, if only the characters controlled with any consistency. Button presses register only part of the time, your jump is terribly weak which makes scaling walls frustratingly unpredictable, and movement as a whole feels like Sonic plodding through a muddy swamp.

The second problem is the game is alarmingly short. I completed all 16 levels in just over an hour, which for the price feels quite insufficient. Theoretically you could double this time if you plan to play through with both characters, but they play so similarly I don't believe it to be worth doing so.

All the while I was playing I couldn't help but think how much Tobe's Vertical Adventure feels like a flash game awkwardly dressed up as a full game and put up on Steam as if players wouldn't notice. If it wasn't for the terrible controls I could still recommend it at sale prices, but unfortunately they ruined my enjoyment of the game and I wouldn't feel right advising others to purchase it. I'm quite disappointed to have to say it too because the level designs, art and music are not half bad, but a platformer with bad controls is like a sandwich without bread. It just doesn't work.